


switched at love

by softiejohnyong



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Drinking, Friends to Lovers, Identity Swap, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-06-28 04:22:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19804666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softiejohnyong/pseuds/softiejohnyong
Summary: taeyong is tiny, he knows. he wishes he could reach higher shelves without standing on tip-toe, he really does. but waking up and finding out he's grown taller only because he's possessing the body of his crush is like the kind of sick, twisted joke a genie likes to pull on their master.





	switched at love

**Author's Note:**

> this fic was written for the prompt N-14: Johnny and Taeyong are best friends who have harbored feelings for each other for years, but have never confessed out of fear of rejection. Everything changes one day when they wake up… only to find out that they’ve swapped bodies. Cue lots of rom com moments as they try to figure out how to switch back, while navigating their love for one another along the way.  
> to the prompter: i hope this is good enough. thank you for such a cute and fun prompt to work with 💖

EDM music thumps against the walls then resounds across the house. Two guys are jumping up and down on the couch, while in another corner, a group of too drunk girls are splashing their drink everywhere. Typical frat house party. Someone changes the music to something more upbeat - if that’s even possible - making the crowd roar up in cheers, sweaty bodies continue to grind against others.

“Sooooo, when are you gonna claim your man?”, Doyoung slurs after chucking down another shot of vodka. He looks at the pink-haired male next to him, who is sipping on a glass of peach-flavored soju. Yeah, call him a chicken or whatever, Taeyong doesn’t hold up well when it comes to alcohol, and he has a sweet tooth, too.

“Uh… what?”, Taeyong asks, feigning innocence.

“Pfff, you think I’m gonna fall for that? Cut the crap, TY, you know exactly what I meant.” Doyoung fixes Taeyong with a half resigning half judging glare, with a hint of mirth that weirds him out. “You have been stealing glances at Johnny ever since he left your side to chat up that group of first-years, and that was only 15 minutes ago.”

Putting down his empty glass, Taeyong shrugs. “That’s Johnny being Johnny. He’s just- really friendly. And please can we not talk about this now? At a frat house party? This kind of emotional talk should be reserved for anywhere much more private than a tiny space filled with drunk college students.”

To be honest, it is pathetic and a bit dumb to be pining after one of his closest friends; Taeyong’s seen a fair share of fanfictions and rom-com movies to know that. Nevertheless, as mentioned before, Taeyong is a scaredy cat who’s too afraid to tell Johnny that he wants to hold his hand and kiss his lips and write a poem to describe the pool of honey that is Johnny’s eyes and maybe suck his gorgeous dick too - but that’s beside the point and not worth mentioning. The point here is, Taeyong and Johnny have been good friends since the 7th grade when Johnny moved here from America and Taeyong doesn’t want to lose this friendship by saying the L word to Johnny. It’s terrifying to be so comfortable and have so much trust in someone that you both swear to never keep a secret from each other, then suddenly you are lying straight to their face 24/7 and acting like everything is okay, when in reality it’s not. It’s frustrating too, watching the love of your life laughing and talking to others while seething with jealousy because you want that ray of sunshine to be directed at you and you only. And so, as an exhausted and emotionally constipated college student, Taeyong chose to keep his feelings inside and probably will never utter a word about them until he’s on his death bed.

However, fortunate, or unfortunate for Taeyong, he has other great friends named Doyoung, Yuta and Jungwoo who secretly are the members of a group called The JohnYongtizens. Taeyong only found out about that group chat when Yuta was showing him pictures of his mom’s new puppy and the notification popped up on the screen. Ever since then, they have been subtly playing matchmaking, according to Yuta, “for the sake of your sad little twitchy hole”. Taeyong appreciates the efforts, really, but it seems that Johnny doesn’t feel the same, judging from the fact that he doesn’t even blink every time anyone brings up the idea that he and Taeyong should be together. It’s either he’s an excellent actor or the brozone game is too strong.

And so, on a Saturday night when someone decided to throw a party to celebrate the end of finals, Taeyong finds himself letting out the longest sigh ever watching Johnny going around talking with so many people that Taeyong doubts Johnny could remember the next day. This strangely feels like one of those movie scenes where the shy, nerdy protagonist sits in a corner and sees their crush leaving the party with someone else not them, sad music playing in the background to illustrate their feelings. Except that Taeyong is not shy or nerdy (or so he likes to think) and Johnny is coming to his place tonight. It has become their tradition to spend some ‘quality time’ at least one night every week at each other’s place. Johnny says it helps strengthen the bond between bros. Taeyong is already planning on what to feed them both when they get home later.

Taeyong’s train of thoughts gets cut off when a solid weight is put on his shoulders, warm breath tickling his cheek as Johnny shoves himself onto Taeyong’s side. “Wanna go home yet?” he asks, cheeks flushed and eyes twinkling, probably from all the dancing and talking and laughing earlier. Parties, or any social events in general, are truly where Johnny belongs. It’s a wonder that the two of them even became friends in the first place - they’re too different from each other. Not that Taeyong is complaining about where they are right now, he’s perfectly content with their friendship. It’s just that, really, he wishes they were something more than friends.

*

Donghyuck is on his way back from the kitchen, a glass of iced tea in hand as he passes by the couch where Johnny is currently lazing out on. He hears a tiny, almost inaudible squeak, so Donghyuck looks up from his phone and sees a rather embarrassing scene unfolding. On the too-small-for-Johnny couch is his brother, who has now turned sideways and buried his head into the soft plush to muffle his screech while holding onto the fabric of the couch.

“Uh… what are you doing?” Droplets of water formed on the glass of iced tea are starting to seep into Donghyuck’s palm, and he very much wants to use that hand to delivery a wet slap to Johnny’s back if his brother doesn’t stop whatever nonsense shit he’s doing.

In reply to Donghyuck’s question, Johnny only holds up his phone. On the screen is a picture of Taeyong’s face with cat whiskers drawn on, albeit very askew and smudged in different colors.

“Taeyong is babysitting his niece and nephew.” Johnny manages to wheeze out after a while, cheeks pink from a face-splitting grin.

“And…?” Donghyuck inquires. Seriously, he doesn’t understand why Johnny acted as if he was dying - or is dying inside. Sometimes he doubts that they really are biological siblings.

“He let Taeri and Taeha draw on his face! Oh gosh, I can’t-”, Johnny holds the phone close to his heart, still smiling like an idiot. That makes Donghyuck remember a scene from a drama he watched with Mark last month, where the main character received a cute message from his girlfriend and wouldn’t stop wailing over it. Well, at least Park Hyungsik is cute, unlike Johnny. _Pathetic._

“I was gonna tell you to fucking confess to Taeyong like _a million of times_ I’ve done before; however, knowing you’re too dumb to understand my words, I’m gonna leave you here to choke. Good night, don’t die.” One dramatic sigh and a door slam later, Johnny is left to his own devices with Taeyong’s pouty face plastered on the phone screen. He doesn’t pay much attention to Donghyuck’s earlier remark as the chat bubble appears then disappears for a couple of times, before another picture pops up. It’s a blurry photo of baby Taeha smooching his uncle on the cheek. _Oh god_.

_[they think they can bribe their way out of such crime]_

_[they’re right]_

_[taeri asked for you tho c:]_

Taeri and Taeha are the two years old twins of the older Lee sibling, who sometimes asks her brother to babysit the kids so that she could go on a date night with her husband. Once or twice, Johnny has come by to help Taeyong with the kids. He would let them play with their crayons and markers, Johnny’s face is often the canvas for their artistic talent to show; and since there’s no Johnny this time, Taeyong has become the new victim of badly placed marker tips.

_[awww tell princess taeri i miss her too. and call me next time you have to babysit them.]_

After that text is another string of blurry, cute selfies that leave Johnny with a near heart stroke - not that he’s complaining, it’s just that the silent squealing on his part is getting ridiculous. There were times when Johnny actually considered telling Taeyong how he felt, but ended up staying silent because things between them were still too ambiguous for Johnny’s liking. It’s confusing as hell, okay? One moment Taeyong is smiling sweetly and looking at Johnny like he’s the only one in the entire universe, the next he’s complimenting that dude Seungjin from their dance club and even tell Johnny about how Seungjin asked him out. How the hell is Johnny supposed to take that? If only he knew what Taeyong was thinking.

*

Johnny wakes up with a jolt, heavy limbs and a bitter taste on the tip of his tongue. He looks to the side to check the time. 7:24. He doesn’t have class this morning though, maybe he could allow himself another couple of hours of sleep. Until Johnny notices that something is off. Since when has the curtain in his room been changed into a plain grey one? The bedsheet under his body smells exceptionally nice, too. Well, not that his and Donghyuck’s shared apartment smells horrible, but this is way too good of a smell to belong to the inside of their place. Taking a careful sniff, Johnny realizes this is what Taeyong’s room smell like - fresh laundry, with a hint of lavender. Did Taeyong visit yesterday and leave something in his room? If he did, why would Taeyong leave behind _laundry_ of all things?

More and more things are starting to seem off, so Johnny makes to sit up to shake off the last bit of grogginess. Only then does he remember why his surroundings doesn’t look right. _Oh_. This is Taeyong’s. He’s spent multiples nights at Taeyong’s dorm room before, of course he remembers every single little detail of the place. Often, Johnny would sleep on the couch; though there’ve been several occasions where the two grown men somehow managed to fit both of them into Taeyong’s bottom bunk bed.

But why did he sleep in Taeyong’s bed though? Johnny distinctly remembers falling asleep with Blue - his favorite whale plushie - last night, and Taeyong was with his niece and nephew until at least 10, so technically it was impossible for Johnny to somehow teleport his sleeping self to Taeyong’s dorm room. _Unless_ , Johnny actually has the power of teleportation and did so in his slumber, which is a very potential beginning of a blockbuster superhero movie.

Just as Johnny is starting to believe that he has superpower, Yuta’s voice rings through the door of the bathroom, announcing that they have run out of toothpaste.

“Try squeezing really hard, okay? I’ll buy a new tube later.” Upon receiving no answer, Yuta sticks his head out, looking at his roommate who is dumbly staring at him. “Hey, did you hear what I said? Taeyong?”

“Taeyong?”, Johnny asks. Why did Yuta call him Taeyong though? Just then, he realizes another strange thing.

_Why does his voice sound exactly like Taeyong’s?_

Johnny looks down at his body, only to realize that he’s wearing his best friend’s pajamas - which are very cute by the way, with tiny little stars on them - and the number ‘29’ has disappeared from the inside of his left elbow. Also, he feels kind of… light? Like, some weight has been lifted off his body, as if Johnny has somehow shrunk in size and become a smaller version of himself. Everything only clicks when Johnny’s fingers touch a foreign scar on his face.

\--

In Yuta’s opinion, what is happening, though not yet on Taeyong’s level, is pretty weird. It’s unusual to see his roommate scramble to the mirror, look at the reflection then start screaming at the top of his lungs. The look on Taeyong’s face is of pure horror when he comes straight at Yuta and grabs his shoulders.

“DUDE! WHY DO I LOOK LIKE THIS?!”, Taeyong shouts at him, eyes widening. It’s too much for this time of the day.

“Keep your voice down, I haven’t had my coffee yet. And what do you mean you look like this, I swear _for the hundredth time_ Johnny won’t notice that tiny little zit on your forehead!”, Yuta throws his hands up in frustration.

“No, Yuta, you don’t understand! It’s me! It’s Johnny! I am Johnny! Why do I look like Taeyong? Oh god why does my voice sound like his too? What is happening??!” Fortunately, Taeyong has let go of Yuta’s shoulders to start pacing around their shared room. Newly-dyed dark locks of hair sticking up in every direction from his constant pulling.

“Uhh…” Honestly, Yuta doesn’t know what to reply to that because 1) as aforementioned, he hasn’t had any coffee yet, and 2) has his friend gone mad from pining after a hot dude? Has dick-thirst become a plague which claimed Taeyong as the first victim? Yuta manages to grab hold of Taeyong’s arms to stop him from potentially going crazy, “Dude, stop, you’re freaking me out! Sit down and tell me again why you’re claiming to be Johnny Suh, because I’m sure one does not simply go crazy from dick deprivation!”

\--

_Oh. Did Johnny hear that wrong? Or is Yuta messing with him?_

Even in the middle of freaking out, Johnny hears Yuta loud and clear. What does he mean though? Yuta does not imply that Johnny’s best friend wants him in a non-platonic way, doesn’t he?

Johnny takes a deep breath and wills himself to calm down, then finds the nearest surface to sit on. There’s no use freaking out anyway. Sure it is creepy and highly uncomfortable that he woke up inside the body of his best friend, but again, Johnny has read a lot of weird shit on the internet, he figures one day he’ll find himself in one of those situations.

But wait, since Johnny is Taeyong, does that mean Taeyong is now Johnny? Because according to countless theories and sci-fi movies Johnny has seen, nothing just magically disappears - they must go somewhere. So if Johnny’s mind is now trapped inside Taeyong’s body, it could mean the same thing happened to Taeyong too. He has to see Taeyong right now and fix whatever this is as soon as possible. And in order to do so, Johnny must first get rid of Yuta (not in a murderous way, of course).

“Sorry about earlier. I was… uh... hallucinating?” Johnny tries his best to not sound like someone who has been body-swapped, he has high hope that Yuta wouldn’t notice the difference. He gets a suspicious look in return. The Japanese guy has really beautiful eyes, though sometimes they look like they could bore into your soul and unravel each and every one of your lies. Yuta looks like he doesn’t really buy it, but also too familiar with his roommate’s outburst of weirdness to believe that Taeyong did dream of being inside Johnny’s body.

“That actually does sound like you, Taeyong, although I’d strongly recommend you to get laid to, you know, let out some steam, because you have been acting weird lately. And I mean _weird_ weird, not the usual weird, you get me?” Yuta half face-palms half pinching his nose bridge, like he’s already tired that early in the morning.

“Yeah,” Johnny says, weakly. He doesn’t exactly know how to reply to that, because this is Taeyong - the guy Johnny has the biggest, fattest crush on - they are talking about. Speaking of whom, Johnny really needs to see Taeyong, or Johnny’s body in this case, right now. He has to go back to Donghyuck and his shared apartment, although a small part of Johnny’s mind doubts that Taeyong is still there. Taeyong, shocked and confused, may have left the place.

*

Donghyuck’s head pops out from behind the door, bed hair sticking up in every direction.

“Bro, what- Oh, Taeyong, why are you here so e-”

“Is Taeyong home? I need to talk to him.” Johnny says before Donghyuck could finish his sentence. He tries to look into the apartment for any signs of Taeyong, but he couldn’t really see much past the top of Donghyuck’s head since his brother and Taeyong are almost the same height. So this is how tiny people see the world, huh?

“Uh… you mean Johnny? He’s in his room, I think?” Donghyuck scratches his head in confusion, but answers and let Johnny in nonetheless. ”Taeyong, are you okay? You seem nervous.” By then, half of the morning grogginess has left Donghyuck’s system as he starts to notice how Johnny’s best friend is fidgeting nonstop while looking at the door to Johnny’s room. Which is, to say the least, _interesting_. Donghyuck quirks an eyebrow while observing Taeyong. He has to tell Mark about this.

Donghyuck opens his mouth, about to say something when the door on his left bursts open and a sweaty Johnny jumps out. Wide eyes zooming in on Taeyong, and without saying anything, Johnny promptly grabs Taeyong’s hand to pull him into his room. Just like that, Donghyuck is left alone in the tiny corridor of their apartment. There’s a muffled “what the fuck” afterward, he’s not entirely sure who said that. Part of Donghyuck wants to listening in - what if there’s something interesting going on between them - while the other thinks the tea will taste better, with a pinch of sweet surprise if Donghyuck simply leaves the dummies to their own devices. Finally, Donghyuck decides against it and goes back to his room. He is definitely telling Mark everything.

\--

“What the fuck,” Taeyong whispers in horror, two hands holding his own face that is staring right back at Taeyong.

“What the actual fuck,” says Johnny, also sharing the same horror of finding out that he’s been body-swapped with Taeyong. It honestly feels ten times more creepy than looking at the mirror, because mirror reflections don’t speak or act on their own initiative like this. He mutters under his breath something along the line of ‘I knew this would happen’, still too shocked to actually form any intelligent words. He doesn’t get to say anything though, for Taeyong’s right hand suddenly collides with Johnny’s face in a _hard_ smack.

“Ow! What was that for?!” Johnny nearly yells at his friend, who looks like he’s about to slap him again. He silently curses his own volleyball player self for being able to slap anything with that much force. Still, he couldn’t resist the urge to whine, “Why would you smack your own face~”

“I need to make sure this is not a dream…” Taeyong says sheepishly, also reaching forwards to place a soothing hand on Johnny’s reddening cheek. Now that he’s stuck inside this new body, Taeyong becomes even more aware of how big Johnny is comparing to him - Johnny’s hand nearly covers his face. Under any other circumstances, maybe he would be _the tiniest bit_ turned on by their size difference, but now really isn’t the time to be horny. What matters is figuring out how to switch back before any disasters happen. Also, it feels awkward to be walking around with these giant limps. Two hours and Taeyong already wants his flexible, average-sized figure back.

“Well, at least my freaking out isn’t as violent as yours. Yuta got weirded out only a little bit.” Johnny draws in a breath before continuing. “Does Donghyuck know? He’s gonna lose it if he knows his brother really isn’t his brother anymore.”

“No, I haven’t left the room since I woke up. I thought that maybe you would come to find me? ‘Cos you know, I learned from those movies you made me watch.” Taeyong says, voice almost sounds like he couldn’t believe that _Freaky Friday_ would one day come in handy. Speaking of which, if their current situation resembles _Freaky Friday_ even the tiniest bit, there should be a way for the two of them to switch back, right? All Taeyong has to do now is figuring out what kind of quest they have to finish!

Although, that does prove to be a difficult task since they have no idea what set off the switching. For example, in _Freaky Friday_ , Tess and Anna ate fortune cookies; meanwhile, Taeyong neither saw Johnny nor ate anything weird and vice versa. It’s like trying to solve a mystery without any clues because god is bored and wants to see some little humans suffer. Taeyong almost hyperventilates thinking that there’s no way to switch back and he will forever stuck in Johnny’s body. Despite the odd circumstance, Johnny - as always - is there to keep him grounded. Johnny could see the gear frantically turning inside Taeyong’s head, so he does the one thing that can calm Taeyong down. He finds it strangely funny that now he has to stand on tiptoe for Taeyong to be able to rest his head on Johnny’s shoulder. Because, obviously, it used to be the other way around. Johnny’s hug still works its magic, nonetheless. Taeyong starts to relax after a while, heaving deep breaths to try to clear his head.

“We will find a way. I promise you we will find a way to switch back. I wouldn’t want you to take away this gorgeous body of mine, anyway.” That manages to make Taeyong smile a little bit.

“Oh please, as if I wished for this pile of heavy limbs. I bumped into so many things this morning alone I think I’ll need to apologize to you in advance for all the bruises.” And to prove his point, Taeyong raises an arm to show Johnny a bruise already blooming on the inside of his elbow. But how the heck does one bump _that part_ into anything?!

After some further discussion, the two of them decide to switch phone too, because they still have schedules and projects to keep up with; and of course, secretly, no one would want their crush to read all the embarrassing group chats they are in. _Especially the JohnYongtizens_.

Donghyuck looks at them curiously when Johnny and Taeyong exit the room; and gives them a stink eye upon seeing their disheveled hair and wrinkled clothes, but stays silent about that nonetheless. They wait until Donghyuck has left for a morning class and let out a relieved sigh. “Maybe Donghyuck didn’t notice anything,” Taeyong says, though with uncertainty. Sometimes Johnny’s little brother is scarily perceptive, the last thing he wants is for another person to be added to this mess when they haven’t figured out how to switch back yet. He offers to walk Johnny back to his and Yuta’s dorm room because things can get awkward if Johnny bumps into anyone other than their mutual friends. Without much argument, the both of them agree that it’s better to not raise any suspicion in case the government sends someone to capture and experiment on them.

*

Out of all things, Taeyong doesn’t expect to convince Yuta so easily.

“So, you mean to tell me that you are… Taeyong?” The red straw in Yuta’s glass of sprite floats up and pokes his nostril, but he pays it no mind. It’s been three days since that freaky morning, Yuta’s roommate has been acting weird, and now Johnny Suh has just sat down in front of Yuta and told him he is, in fact, the real Taeyong. Johnny seemed nervous and kept rambling about fortune cookies and body-swapping and shit. Yuta didn’t buy it at first, but when Johnny recounted the time when Yuta got his dick stuck in a sunbathing chair during the summer, he just knew it really was his roommate Taeyong. That incident is the one thing Taeyong swore to take to the grave, and Taeyong is definitely not the type to use others for entertainment. So, a ball of skepticism and buy-no-bs that he is, Yuta does believe that through some mystical force, Taeyong has been body-swapped with not just anyone but the one guy he’s thirsting after - which in this case is _very_ interesting. Assuming that this is an act of faith, then the universe must be frustrated by Taeyong’s pining ass too. Yuta is not exactly friends with Johnny _yet_ , but judging from the way that big dude has been glancing at Taeyong every now and then, Yuta bets that the guy feels something for the dark-haired boy too.

“Yes! That’s what I’ve been telling you that for the past 30 minutes! Look, I don’t know how this happened, but you study the human body, you must have encounter some creepy shit, right? I’ve been doing my own research for the last two days, I can’t find anything useful. Please, Yuta, you have to help me or I might go crazy.” Taeyong is almost begging now, all pouty lips and pleading eyes. It’s been four days since the swapping happened, he doesn’t think he can pretend to be Johnny any longer. He’s already fucked up two of Johnny’s presentations since Taeyong knows shits about tribal agriculture, and from what he heard, Johnny got yelled at by Taeyong’s dance instructor. Less than a week and they are already messing up each other’s life so much.

“Okay, okay, fine, I’ll… try to look for any stories or examples similar to your case, but I cannot promise you anything. We’re still trying to prolong human’s lifespan and you two already switched bodies. Who knows if this is Charles Xavier versus Apocalypse type of shit,” Yuta holds his tongue for only a second before scooting closer, brows wiggling, “This is solely for science, but have you touched the jick?”

Yuta kind of expects Taeyong to splutter, maybe choke on his drink even. He definitely isn’t prepared to see a shy smile and a light blush blooming on the other boy’s cheeks.

“I… may have done so… BUT, in my defense, it is inevitable that I have to touch his package during shower, ‘cos you know, gotta keep your junk clean _just in case_. And I feel bad too, you know, it’s like I’m violating Johnny without his consent.” Taeyong says in a whiny voice. The point of this conversation is to find out how to switch back, not the warmth of Johnny’s dick! To his chagrin, the red-haired boy only cackles and almost spills his drink.

*

It’s officially two weeks since the day of the switching, Taeyong thinks he’s doing quite well at living Johnny’s life. During the day they follow each other’s schedule, take notes during classes then exchange them later in the evening. Taeyong actually learned quite a lot of interesting stuff about planting and taking care of sprouts. Being able to reach high places is definitely a plus point of possessing this body. For the first time in his life, Johnny has to look up when they talk. Taeyong has never thought that he’d say this out loud, but man does his face look cute from this angle. Which makes the brunette wonder if Johnny has ever had the same thought - that Taeyong looks cute. Like _cute_ cute. Johnny never hides the fact that he likes cute things - hell, the number of plushies scattering across this room is enough to tell. He even compliments Taeyong on several occasions too, but Taeyong doesn’t know it’s out of pure adoration for tiny things or in a potentially romantic, proposing-for-a-relationship way.

“Hey.” Taeyong is jolted out of his thoughts when Johnny gently pokes him in the cheeks. They are in the library, textbooks and notes and laptops sprawled across the table they’ve occupied for the past hour. Despite having not completely fucked shit up, the two of them still need to figure out how to switch back. And miraculously, the library of their college has quite an interesting range of books on strange and mystical occurrences. For example, Johnny found out that in the last decade there were at least six different cases of people allegedly swapping bodies with each other, although the results - whether those people were being able to switch back or not - weren’t mentioned. Or Taeyong reads from an online source that usually body swapping happens when the two people involved have an unresolved problem with each other. Usually _a problem of romantic nature_. If what he read is true, then maybe, just maybe, his feelings for Johnny aren’t one-way. Maybe Johnny feels something for him too. Which also is the cause of Taeyong’s pink cheeks right now. He hopes the blush isn’t too obvious.

“You okay? You have been spacing out for quite a while.” Johnny’s now doe eyes are looking at Taeyong with such concern that he wants to believe Johnny cares for him more than a friend should.

“Nah, it’s nothing serious. You know how easily I get lost in thought. ” Taeyong quickly brushes it off by a wave of hand. “Anyway, have you found anything new? I have a dude who claimed to be “punched out of his own body by a bald woman and spent a month living in incorporeal form”. I think he was just high on weed.”

Johnny quirks an eyebrow at that, clearly amused. So far their research session hasn’t produced any fruitful result; the only thing getting shorter than the gap between his eyebrows is the distance between him and Taeyong. Belatedly, Johnny realizes that the two of them tend to shift towards each other whenever they are within the other’s proximity. Now that he is much more conscious of this body, Johnny couldn’t help thinking about how nice it feels when they hug. Johnny doesn’t consider himself to be a narcissistic person, but he has to admit that his embrace is the best in the world thanks to these arms and pectorals. He briefly thinks about back in the days, how Taeyong seemed to like to squish his face against Johnny’s chest whenever they hug. Taeyong was so small; and with the top of that pink mop of hair barely touching Johnny’s chin, of course Taeyong would be at the right height to bury his face in Johnny’s chest.

Just then, a thought occurs to Johnny. What if… what if all these time, Taeyong has been dropping hints to him? His other bros don’t do the thing Taeyong does: when they hug, they’ll turn their face sideways and make the hug as friendly and bro-ish as possible. But Taeyong? The guy literally rubbed himself all over Johnny and purred like a cat. Johnny doesn’t know if that was intentional or just in Taeyong’s nature to be touchy feely.

Subconsciously, his mind wanders to an alternate universe where they are together. Johnny thinks he would baby Taeyong all the time, because the other guy is tiny, adorable, and deserves all the softness in the world. But now they are stuck in this freaky situation, Johnny doesn’t know how to fix it.

Johnny would continue to be sucked into this dark spiral of what-if thought if Taeyong didn’t let out a small ‘aha!’ next to him. Johnny turns to his side and sees Taeyong already scribbling on a piece of paper, probably taking notes from the book he’s reading.

“Did you find something?” The dark-haired male peaks at his friend’s handwriting.

“Yeah, I think I do. Here,” Taeyong pushes the book towards Johnny to have him take a look, “this article talks about a case of two university students who claim to have been living in each other’s body for nearly 8 months. They said the swapping happened because one of their friends performed some sort of ritual with the intention of strengthening their bond and they were able to swap back by… being honest to each other? Okay, I didn’t read this part, but what the hell is that supposed to mean?” Taeyong let out a distressed noise.

Johnny, on the other hand, thinks this account actually does make sense. “I don’t know, but that seems legit. ‘Cos I have noticed that in most of the stories we have come across so far, honesty is kind of like a recurring factor, right?”

“So you are telling me that we are not honest to each other?”, Taeyong turns to his friend, an indecipherable look in his eyes. Which instantly makes Johnny’s face burn hot with embarrassment, as if he’s been caught red-handed pining after his friend. Cues the nervous laugh.

“What? Of course not! Ha! Why would you say that? Have I ever lied to you about anything?” Johnny can even feel one single drop of sweat rolling down the side of his face. He hopes Taeyong doesn’t notice that. Said male only shrugs.

“If you say so.”

*

Taeyong has learned, over the years of being friends with Johnny, that the Suh brothers share one single brain cell with each other. From hilarious incidents during their childhood to conversations that sometimes Taeyong catches Johnny having with Donghyuck. But really, the younger Suh is definitely an interesting mixture of sass, dumbass and mystery.

Ever since that day at the library, Taeyong has been thinking non-stop about the possibility of the involvement of a third party in their current situation. The two of them went over everything they did the day before the swapping and nothing came out of the ordinary, which pointed to the last option: someone, or something, did this to them. Taeyong doesn’t know who would be sadistic enough to make others suffer by switching their bodies with each other.

But what he does know is that Donghyuck seems to have certain knowledge about their current situation. Sometimes he would tell Taeyong to remember his size. “To pick the right size to wear”, he says. Or he would randomly drop one or two books rented from the library for Taeyong to “catch up on assignments”, which was beyond weird because he could never know that Taeyong was struggling with the classes that were supposed to be Johnny’s. If Donghyuck truly knew nothing, he would still be thinking that his brother was doing great at school as always.

Or maybe Taeyong is imagining things, he’s not sure. The other night when he was tucking Donghyuck in bed because the boy caught a flu and had a mild fever, Donghyuck - before drifting off to sleep - hugged and called Taeyong’s name instead of Johnny’s. Taeyong had a mini heart attack right then, because the fewer people getting dragged into this freaky shit the better; but those few seconds made him suspect that Donghyuck knew _something_ . Like he had said before, the younger Suh could be scarily perceptive. That is not to say Taeyong doesn’t appreciate Donghyuck’s clinginess. The boy is so _so_ adorable pouting and begging his brother to do something for him that Taeyong couldn’t believe Johnny called such a cute boy _satan’s spawn_.

“What are you thinking?” Taeyong _almost_ let out a surprised squeak when Donghyuck’s face suddenly pops up in front of him. This time, Donghyuck isn’t on his phone but instead holding a glass of iced tea.

“Nothing in particular. What do you want for dinner?” The dark-haired male replies, trying to distract the other from his question. Donghyuck is not buying it, though.

“Bro, first off, I’m not complaining, but since when did you become a masterchef? I mean, isn’t it Taeyong’s thing? And second, you were not just thinking about nothing, I saw your face. So spill, before I have to whip out my Detective Conan card.”

Despite his tendency to sass, Donghyuck is actually a very good listener - as far as Taeyong knows from the past few days. The boy is both a nightmare and a total sweetheart at the same time, which makes him even more scary because Donghyuck _knows_ he’s cute and will use that to his advantage. And plus, Taeyong figures, he’s carrying the face of someone else, it won’t hurt if he asks the redhead about his brother, right? With that thought in mind, Taeyong clears his throat, trying to find the right word.

“Do you… What do you think about Taeyong?”

“Taeyong? He’s a nice guy, hell, nicer than any of your exes, and like, the most beautiful guy ever, I don’t understand how you two are not dating already?” Donghyuck sips on his tea, reply almost too nonchalant to believe, as if he is only joking. A soft blush blooms on Taeyong’s cheeks upon receiving a compliment, even when it’s indirect.

“You think so? But I mean, who knows if he likes me? I think a lot of other girls and guys like him too. What if he is seeing someone already?” It’s too soon to tell anything, though.

“You don’t know that yet.” Donghyuck sighs in defeat. “Have you ever, like, actively flirt with Taeyong? You need to step up your game, bro, ‘cos drunk skinship doesn’t count.”

A sliver of hope lights up inside Taeyong. “Wait- But why would I want to flirt with Taeyong? He’s my best friend.” He pretends to be confused while mentally pats himself on the shoulder for being able to keep up with the act.

“Pffff, then tell me why were you drooling when he sent you those photos, hm? When Taeyong was babysitting his niece and nephew? Because I swear to god best friends don’t do that kind of cringey stuff.” At this point Donghyuck is literally too fed up with his brother being an idiot sandwich. He doesn’t even understand how Johnny got into college if he is _this_ stupid. Donghyuck has literally spent hours to explain to Johnny that asking Taeyong out on a real date is a fail-proof plan, that in all 14,000,605 futures that Stephen Strange saw there is not one where Taeyong would reject Johnny. But somehow, through some mystical fucked up force, the older Suh is convinced that his feelings aren’t reciprocated; when in reality, one doesn’t even need to get inside Taeyong’s mind to know that the tiny dancer is seriously into Johnny. Donghyuck doesn’t know anymore. Maybe his brother truly is a lost cause.

On the other hand, Taeyong is near speechless. Did Donghyuck actually imply that Johnny died over Taeyong’s smudgy face back then?

“But he never said anything…” Taeyong mutters to himself, having completely forgotten he currently is Johnny Suh. That doesn’t faze Donghyuck from sassing over his older brother, though.

“It’s because you never say anything either! Or at least show any signs for him to catch on!” Donghyuck wants to punch his dumb brother in the face right now. “I get it that you’re scared he’s gonna reject you, but you like him. At least flirt with him like you do with others! Let Taeyong know you are into him. And maybe, probably fucking confess to him too, say you want to hold his hand or ass or whatever. He is Lee Taeyong, he won’t make fun of or embarrass you I swear.” Donghyuck takes a large gulp of iced tea after nearly yelling at his brother’s dumb face. Gosh, why must giants always be so dense?

However, Taeyong is truly stunned. He is starting to realize a lot of things now. Taeyong’s been living all these years not believing that someone like Johnny could reciprocate his feelings, that they do have a chance together. But with all the hints and evidences that have been bombarding him for the past few days, maybe that reality isn’t just a dream.

The other day, Taeyong found a scrapbook _filled_ with his pictures. It sounds creepy, really, to discover that his best friend made a _Best of Lee Taeyong_ photobook, and also quite confusing. The book contained photos taken of him during different events of his life, from different angles too; but in all of them, Taeyong wasn’t looking at the camera. Until now, Taeyong doesn’t know what to make of those photos. It is as if that’s how Johnny sees him: not looking at Johnny, not paying attention to him. Taeyong knows that is just _wrong_ , because in truth, all he sees is Johnny. Maybe it’s also his fault for making the other guy think he’s not interested. They have been good friends for such a long time that friendly hugs or taking care of each other has become normal, so much that Johnny didn’t catch the signals Taeyong sent his way.

“I’m an idiot sandwich,” Taeyong blurts out upon realizing that, yeah, he does need to really _do something_ about his feelings for Johnny. Body-swapped or not, they’re still withholding truth from each other, and that’s not okay.

“Oh thank fuck!” comes Donghyuck’s response. “Anyhow, what’s for dinner?”

*

“OH MY GAWD MARKKKKK!!!” Even from the kitchen of the frat house and with the music constantly blasting through the premises, Johnny could hear Yukhei screeching at something Mark did. Chuckling, he returns to the task at hand: creating the bomb-est drink ever. They are at the monthly get-together, playing all sorts of drinking games. Therefore, as always, Johnny is given the holy task of mixing drinks for them. Everyone has started to get a little bit tipsy, which should be when the fun finally begins.

Something is still missing though. Johnny looks around to find that bottle of exotic whiskey he knows Lucas has hidden in the kitchen.

“Lucas, you little shit.” Johnny grits his teeth upon seeing the bottle peeking out from the top of one of the wall shelves. A high one at that. That brat Lucas took advantage of his height and chose to hide his shit in places that people like Taeyong or Mark definitely won’t be able to reach. Normally Johnny would have no trouble snatching that bottle of alcohol from its place, but now he has only these short, tiny limbs, it’s much more difficult for him to do so.

“Do you need help?” Taeyong materializes next to him in the kitchen, also eyeing the bottle of whiskey. A smug smile is plastered on his face. “Finally know what it feels like to be me, huh?”

Before Johnny could muster a clever comeback, suddenly he’s lifted off the ground by two powerful arms wrapped tightly around the hip. Taeyong easily picks him up like Johnny - or actually, Taeyong - weighs nothing. Beneath him, the brunette is giggling nonstop. 

“Sometimes I really like being you. All big and strong alpha male.”

“There’s this place called the gym, you know?”, Johnny bites back, no real heat behind it.

“Nah, I have you. Must put these arms to good use, right?” Taeyong is being bold tonight, and Johnny wonders if it is thanks to several shots he’s seen Taeyong do earlier. Johnny is definitely a heavier-weight than Taeyong, so by switching bodies it also means the other boy got Johnny’s alcohol tolerance. Still, Taeyong’s cheeks are pink and his eyes are slightly dazed.

“Alright, alright, put me down first. I got a big ass bowl of mix to serve those idiots, you should go join them and you know, _enjoy being me_ and able to down at least another 5 shots.” Shooing Taeyong out of the kitchen, Johnny turns back to the task at hand. Someone is yelling for a game of 20 questions. 

\--

“Is it a boy with honey-colored eyes?”, Yuta slurs at Taeyong, cheeks a happy shade of pink. He earns a smack on the arm from Jaehyun.

“Dude, are you describing Johnny himself?”

“Shut up, Jae, I have my own plan to exposed his panicked gay ass and that includes asking _intentionally_ stupid questions!”

Meanwhile, Taeyong is so close to reaching from the other side of their circle to strangle Yuta. Nakamoto is supposed to be his comrade, his right-hand man, how dare he turn on Taeyong like this! Begrudgingly, the brunette has to answer the question.

“Yes.”

“Ha! I knew it!” Cheers Yuta, popping another peanut into his mouth. Good thing Doyoung and Jungwoo aren’t here, or else this get-together would turn into a Taeyong Exposing Party. Next to Yuta, Mark snickers, then clears his throat to give another question.

“Does he like you back?”

 _Oh…_ That’s the one question Taeyong has been mulling over for the past few days too. After the day at the library, he couldn’t stop thinking that the two of them have been lying to each other for how long?

“Uh… I don’t know. He… uh… sometimes he acts as if he’s into me, sometimes he doesn’t. I don’t know.” _Urgh, Taeyong, the rule of the game is to answer with yes or no, not pouring yourself out like that._

“Have you been crushing on him since the beginning of the semester?” Johnny’s question makes everyone immediately turn their head to zoom in on him. Taeyong thinks he saw Mark opening up the camera app to record the scene, probably to send Donghyuck later. But that’s none of his concern right now, because his focus is solely on Johnny. Does Johnny know? Is this him testing the water or is Johnny just enjoying the game?

“No.” Maybe it’s the alcohol that’s giving him courage, Taeyong looks Johnny straight in the eyes, and continues. “I have been liking him for six years.”

“Why didn’t you say anything then? No one can read your mind.” It’s more of a statement than a question from Johnny (someone is whining that it’s not Johnny’s turn to ask, he doesn’t care, though), also looking at the brunette in the eyes. Taeyong starts to flush pink, all bravado gone in a second. Taking another gulp of fruit punch, he manages to wheeze out, “I don’t think he sees me more than just a friend?”

“Yeah, well, have you ever thought for a second that if you didn’t talk about other guys in front of him so much he wouldn’t be so confused about what _you_ see him as?” Everyone falls silent after that mini explosion of Johnny. Taeyong is surprised too. So it has always been about Johnny being jealous of other guys in Taeyong’s choreography club?

This isn’t what he planned for tonight. It was supposed to be Taeyong, through the game, probing for the truth about Johnny’s feelings. Then again, the universe hates him enough to make Taeyong pick the wrong straw, instead of Johnny. And more importantly, is Johnny mad now?

\--

Johnny doesn’t know why he said what he said. He just did. He got angry at Taeyong for talking about his other friends, which is ridiculous and so not himself. Is Taeyong mad now? Johnny sees Taeyong stand up and leave their group with the excuse of getting a new bottle of beer from the kitchen.

When Johnny enters the kitchen, Taeyong is actually pouring beer into a large cup, followed by some Red Bull. Normal Taeyong wouldn’t be able to stand up at this point - he’s definitely taking advantage of Johnny’s high tolerance for alcohol.

“I don’t think that’s good for you.” He clears his throat, trying to make casual conversation. But what’s the point of being casual now? He just exploded at his best friend for no reason.

“Yes, I know. Can you please let me enjoy the only thing I can enjoy tonight?” The brunette’s tone is harsher than Johnny expects, but he guesses he deserves it.

“I’m sorry.”

Johnny is looking at the red cup on the countertop to avoid Taeyong’s stare. Standing in front of the other boy, he feels small, not because Taeyong is much bigger than him now, but because Johnny knows he did wrong. Tonight was supposed to be the night he could finally put it to a test whether his feelings are reciprocated; not completely fuck everything up.

“Johnny, don’t you think it’s time to stop?”

_Is Taeyong suggesting they stop? At being friends?_

Taeyong’s voice suggests something different, though. It has turned to a softer tone, like he’s talking to a child who didn’t know better. “Johnny, look at me. Don’t you think it’s time we stop dancing around the truth?” 

“The truth?” Johnny parrots.

“Yes. The truth. The truth that I…” The brunette boy stops to withdraw a breath, as if preparing himself to say whatever he’s gonna say next. “I like you, a lot. Ever since the day you proudly wore that jacket I made for you to school, even though I knew it looked like a rag. And honestly, all of our friends have been telling me that you feel the same way towards me; I don’t know why I refuse to believe them. I just really, really want to hear it from you.”

The other boy is stunned to silence. Having imagined for _multiple times_ what it would be like to hear Taeyong say three words “I like you” doesn’t mean he’s ready for when the real thing happens. Johnny is sweating profusely, but he cannot pass out yet, not before telling Taeyong how he feels. He reaches for the nearest drink and take a swig. And right when Johnny opens his mouth and is about to confess to Taeyong, someone outside (probably Lucas, again) decides to turn the music even _louder_.

“I’m sorry, what?” Taeyong makes a gesture that he couldn’t hear Johnny clearly. Meanwhile, it doesn’t seem that the kids will turn down the music any time soon, not when EXO’s _Monster_ is on full blast. Jesus fucking christ isn’t it nerve-wracking enough? Still, Johnny is not someone who backs down from something he’s set his mind on. Tonight, even though not playing out as planned, is the night. It has to be.

So, in a fit of courage, Johnny steps closer, almost cornering Taeyong against the kitchen counter.

“I like you too, Taeyong. I want to be your boyfriend. Can you allow me that?” 

Both of their faces are red now, though the happiness is unconcealable. Taeyong is the first to intertwine their fingers together, round cheeks painted with a soft shade of pink. The past few minutes were even more frightening than a rollercoaster, but he made it through without passing out from the sheer joy of hearing Johnny say “I like you” back. He deserves another pat on the back for that.

“Yes. Of course. Yes.” He’s blabbering now, he knows, but how can one blame a guy who just _gloriously_ get out of the friendzone? 

Their bodies absolutely melt against each other when Taeyong reaches out to pull Johnny into his arms. It feels perfect. They feel complete.

“But hey, we still need to figure out how to switch back, right?”

*

[ _duckie_ has been added to the group]

duckie: okay, each of you owes me $50

duckie: in cash

tafeu: but i made the potion?

duckie: $40 for you, then

tafeu: what, no

tafeu: we’re PARTNERS in this crime

doie: i can’t believe witchcraft actually does exist

duckie: i can’t believe you guys came to me and told me to drug my own brother

junguwu: it was for the greater good

junguwu: but have they switched back?

duckie: yeah, Monster is actually the kill switch of this whole shenanigan

duckie: i think theyre already making out

duckie: tbh for ppl who were pining after each other for that long

duckie: i am both surprised and not surprised that the first thing they do after getting their own body back is making out

duckie: wait, i think i heard something

doie: what

duckie: oh gotta go theyre taking clothes off

junguwu: oh the horniness is released >u<

junguwu: yall we need to start helping taeyong plan their wedding

*

_[where r u?]_

_[at ty’s. why u ask?]_

_[u love sick puppy]_

_[hey! >:(] _

_[u spent hrs just to watch him sewing clothes. is this how old people date?]_

_[dont make me beat ur ass.]_

_[lmao as if. im ty’s favourite]_

Locking his phone again after sending a fist emoji to his brother Donghyuck, Johnny turns to the side from his sprawled out position on the bed. Taeyong is busy putting together an item for finals. The coat - he thinks - looks more like the victim of a vicious cat attack than an actual piece of clothing, and Johnny doesn’t really understand the style; but his love-muddled mind thinks anything Taeyong does is beautiful.

Johnny is in love with his best friend. Even as a romantic person, Johnny doesn’t think love comes easily. But love is effortless if it is Taeyong. Johnny has been in love with him since the 9th grade, he can stare at the slope of Taeyong’s nose for hours on end - like the love sick puppy that Johnny (sadly) is. He loves watching Taeyong work. There’s nothing more alluring than the intense look in Taeyong’s eyes, nimble fingers tracing the sewing lines to find and correct the tiniest askew stitches, the slight creasing of his brows; the soft, pinkish lips bitten to a darker shade of red in concentration. Aside from their other traditions, Johnny has made it a habit to spend afternoons at Taeyong’s place to watch him work on his designs. Taeyong once said that he liked the light humming Johnny did; they figured if they could find comfort in each other’s presence like that, then these afternoons should become a permanent thing.

Taeyong has his work station placed in front of the window; the sun is shining outside, the lighting hitting just right and illuminating Taeyong’s every feature. From his small, lithe figure to the fluffy mop of hair that is fluttering thanks to the wind from the fan in the corner of the tiny dorm room. Johnny can even smell a very faint trace of lavender that sure is permeating from the clean white t-shirt Taeyong is wearing. Everything about Taeyong is always so endearing and brings such comfort to Johnny’s mind that more often than not, he could fall asleep just from watching the other boy instead of actually working on an assignment like he often claims to be doing.

This time should be no different, but just as Johnny is slowly drifting to sleep, there’s a hand lightly tapping his forehead and a soft pair of lips touching his own.

“Hey.”

“Hey you too” Johnny smiles at his boyfriend, already reaching up to pull the other boy down.

“Remember the switching like 4 months ago?” There’s this slightly evil look in Taeyong eyes that never fails to send a shiver down Johnny’s spine. He loves this boy for that.

“Yeah, what about that?”

“I found out who did it to us. Wanna go beat their ass?”

“Sure. Let’s go.”


End file.
